CinemaScopes: UHF 35th Anniversary Edition

Brassneck | May 2, 2025

UHF 35th Anniversary Edition

(Shout! Factory)

Review by Jeff Elbel

It’s been 35 years since we were introduced to the Twinkie-wiener sandwich, and fans everywhere were encouraged to grab life by the lips and yank. Shout! Factory invites us once again to “turn up the volume, and yank of the knob.” All of that yanking points directly to the gently warped and borderline surreal comedy of “Weird Al” Yankovic’s multimedia ode UHF. The 1989 film expanded upon Yankovic’s acumen for pop song parodies, including “Eat It” and “Amish Paradise,” to incorporate television, movies, and MTV. It also introduced the pre-Seinfeld world to the physical comedy of Michael “Kramer” Richards as mop-loving janitor and unlikely hero Stanley Spadowski. The underdog tale of daydreaming George Newman (Yankovic) and his pals’ efforts to save a community UHF television station from a corporate takeover may be primarily a framework for clips including “Stanley’s Spadowski’s Clubhouse,” “Raul’s Wild Kingdom” (“Today, we’re gonna teach poodles how to fly,” says the show’s ultimately unsuccessful host in one segment), and ads for businesses like Spatula City, but that’s perfectly okay for two reasons. For one, the clips are genuinely hilarious, like live-action Bugs Bunny or Roadrunner cartoons. Two, as predictable and frankly shallow as the story may be, it has actual heart and promotes genuine senses of goodwill and community.

This film was initially a significant flop but grew legs while being passed from one generation of Weird Al fans to the next (and featured in clips during concerts, where fans recite the dialogue to “Wheel of Fish” like it’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show). UHF shines on the term “cult classic” and remains an oversaturated blast of loopy fun. The movie has been in print frequently since the age of VHS and doesn’t boast many new bonus features on disc. Still, it does include the gamut of extant extras, including audio commentary, deleted scenes, and a retrospective panel from the San Diego Comic-Con during UHF’s 25th anniversary year. Direct orders from Shout! Factory also includes access to celebratory new trinkets, including a UHF scratch-n-sniff card, TV remote stress squeezer, and Spatula City fridge magnet. The most significant new selling point is a fresh 4K scan from the original 35mm negative. Mad scientist/benevolent space alien Philo’s bug-eyes will practically pop out of the screen and land in your lap. (ShoutStudios.com)